Automatic meter compensating mechanism



AUTOMATIC METER COMPENSATING MECHANISM Filed June 1l, 1949 v 3 Sheets-Sheet l 7a 14| :sa 'n 67 Ma 77 l, 177

H0 '8i Hm 179 4 @4 m a I6 57 'D [65 |6| 167 /85 87 D 77 '55 G 183 l 309 |I| 149 Il 178 89 lea L'3 '93 aol/@o3 (185 1.57l n' I99F- |95 RALPH B. QESsLr-.R

JNVENTOR. 197

H3. 6 MM/W ATTORNEY Sept. 29, 1953 R. B. PREssLl-:R

y AUTOMATIC METER COMPENSATING MECHANISM 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 11, 1949` Flj.

Sept. 29, 1953 R. B. PREssLER AUTOMATIC METER COMPENSATING MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June l1. 1949 RALPH EJPRLSSLER INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY y Patented Sept. 29,n 1953 TENT orFlcE AUTOMATIC METER COMPENSATING MECHANISM Y Ralph B. Pressler, Fort Wayne, Ind.,v assigner to Bowser, Inc., Fort Wayne, Ind.

Application June 11, 1949, serial No. 98,472

(cl. 7s-244) 4 Claims.

This invention relates to a metercompensating mechanism. More specifically it relates to means for adding a greater or lesser quantity of liquid to that displaced by a meter so as to compensate for such factors as rvariation in temperature, coehicient of expansion, specific gravity, or, if de- Sired for inaccuracies in meter calibration. a It is a well known fact in the art of measuring liquids by means of meters, that the American Petroleum" institute has established a standard gallon for petroleum products, which is dei-ined at 231 cubic inches at 60 Vdegrees Fahrenheit. Thus the vciume of liquid displaced by any metering system should, at 60 degrees Fahrenheit, agree with the volume indicated by the register driven bythe meter in such system.

Obviously ii the metering is performed at a temperature above 60 degrees F., more than a gallon will have to beV dispensed by the meter for each gallon registered so that when the liquid is reduced to 60 degrees F., the volume will actually be one gallon. C'onversely, if the metering is performed at a temperature below 60 degrees F., less than a gallon should be displaced by the meter for each gallon registered so that when the liquid temperature is raised to 60 degrees F., it will occupy a volume of one gallon.

It is also a well known fact that various liquids expand and contract bydiiiering amounts for the same temperature change. 'They amount of change is expressed in terms of' coeicient 'of cubic expansion or, alternatively and approximately, in degrees of specific gravity as established by the American Petroleum Institute. Both temperature and cubic expansion coeiiicient must be considered if accuracy is required.`

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to produce a mechanism which will compensate for both temperature and coeicient of expansion of the liquid being measured.

A further object is to provide a metering mechanism which will fully compensate for the expanded or contracted condition of the liquid being measured so that when the liquid dispensed is reduced to standard temperature, the volume occupied by it will agree with the register driven by the meter.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for compensating for the expanded or contracted condition of a liquid being metered by operating the meter at a displacement which is less than that required for a standard gallon as indicated by the register, and adding a measured amount of liquid to that displaced by the meter to complete the standard gallon.

Yet another object is to add compensating quantities of liquid to the liquid displaced by the meter, to produce the standard volume indicated on the register.

A further object of the invention is to add controlled amounts of liquid to that displaced by a meter to produce the standard volume indicated cn the register.

Still another object of the invention is t0 add compensating quantities of liquid to that displaced by a meter to produce the standard volume, the quantities added being regulated by the temperature and/or the coefficient of expansion of the liquid being metered.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide means for adding compensating quantities of liquid to the liquid discharged by the meter at regular intervals. l

These and other objects will become apparent from a study of the specification and the drawings which are attached hereto and made a part hereof and in which:

Figure 1 isY ak plan View of the meter, compensator andcontrols therefore with parts broken away to show the thermostat.

Figure 2 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the meter, showing the valve, displacement mechanism and the ports for both the displacement mechanism and the compensator.

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken substantially on line 3 3 of Figure 1 of the drawing showing the compensator mechanism.

Figure 4 is a partial vertical section of the compensator mechanismtaken substantially on the line 4-4 of Figure' 1 vand showing the porting of the mechanism.

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic plan view showing the relative relations of the displacement meter and compensator valve ports and valve.

Figure 6 is a sectional view of the thermostat mechanism.

Meter structure Referring to the drawings, the numeral I represents a displacement meter of any suitable type. The particular meter disclosed herein includes a body 3 having a plurality 0f cylinders 5, a bottom head 'I having a journal Si mounted for vertical adjustment in a threaded opening Il in the head. A track I3 and a gear I5 are formed in the head.

A control plate I'Ihas a central bearing I9 mounted on the journal, a peripheral track 20 running on track .I3 and a peripheral gear 2| meshing with gear I5.

Piston rods 23 are mounted on ball joints 25 on the plate and carry trunk type pistons 21 which ride in cylinders 5.

The control plate has a central shaft 29 which is perpendicular to the plane of its track and which is spanned by the arms of a crank 3| fixed to a shaft 33. lThe shaft is mounted for rotation on bearings 35 in body 3 and head 39, and extends through a seal 31 in the upper head 39, through the cap :il and into the register 43 which it drives.

A port plate 45 having a port 41 for each cylinder is mounted on the top of the body. A boSS on the upper head is faced at 49 parallel to the plate, and a valve 5| comprising two tclesooping rings bears on the plate and face.

An eccentric 53 is mounted on Shaft 33 and the valve is given an orbital motion as shaft 33 revolves.

The structure thus far described forms the subject matter of my application, Serial No. 580,985, for Liquid Meter, led March 5, 1945, and which matured into Patent Number 2,625,914` on January 20, 1953.

Two additional ports 55 and 51 are formed in the face 49 of the upper head and terminate in passages 59, 6| respectively which open to the exterior of the head. The ports are so disposed that they will alternately communicate with the interior and exterior of the valve.

An annular groove 59 is cut in the top of the inner valve ring near the inner flange and a number of vertical holes 52 are formed through the flange to provide adequate passage for liquid to the ports 55 and 51. v

The inlet 63 is connected to a suitable source of liquid and communicates with the channel 65 which is on the outside of the valve 5|. The outlet 61 communicates with the interior of the valve 5| through the space 69 between the shaft 33 and the cylinders 5, the space 1| above the control plate and up through a passage 12 shown in dotted lines in Figure l.

It will be seen from Figure 5 that the valve, as it rotates in its orbital path, successively opens the ports 41 to the inlet passage 65 and thereafter closes them and reopens them to the discharge passage 69. The valve sealingly engages the port plate 45 and face 49.

Similarly the ports 55 and 51 are alternately connected to the inlet and discharge chambers.

Compensator .structure A bowl or container 13 is fitted with a cover 15 which is sealingly xed thereto by screws 11. The bowl has a lower clearance chamber 19 and is bored att! to receive a cylinder sleeve 82 and is counterbored at 93. The chamber 19 is provided with passage 85 which is connected by pipe 81 to channel 59 and port 5|. The counterbore 83 has a passage 88 which is connected by pipe S9 to channel 6| and port 53.

The sleeve 82 is press tted into the bore 8| and is provided with a bore 9| in which a free piston 93 is slidably mounted. A cam follower 95 is mounted in the upper end 91 of the piston hub, while a hardened stop 99 is mounted in the lower end of the hub.

An axial boss |03 is provided at the lower end of the bowl. A threaded hole |05 extends out through the case while the boss is bored at |01 coaxially with the hole. All adjustable stop has a head l adapted to slidably fit in bore |01 and a threaded stem ||3 adapted to extend through the hole |05. The head grooved at ||5 to receive an annular seal ring |1 and is, of course, in substantial alignment with the stop 99.

A nut ||9 on stem I3 holds the sto-p in its axially adjusted position. The lower end of the stem has a cylindrical section |2| of reduced diameter terminating in a short threaded portion |23 and a screw driver slot |25. An adjusting wheel |21 is clamped between the large diametered stem ||3 and nut |29 screwed on |23.

The periphery of the wheel is provided with grooves |3| at regular intervals of, for instance every EOVdegrees, which cooperate with an indicator |33, fixed to the bowl 13 by screw |35, to indicate the setting of the wheel.

This adjustment is provided to permit adjustment in the eld Where, for example, the user must put additional product in a container to compensate for clingage of the oil to the contailler. This makes it unnecessary to disturb the calibration of the meter Sleeves 82 and pistons 93 of diierent sizes may be inserted in the bore 8| or a piston tting the bore 8| may be used so that the same bowl and other mechanism may be used with meters of different styles and sizes, without change.

The cover 15 is provided with an upstanding boss |31 in which is rotatably mounted a cam shaft |39 having a pinion |4| connected at the outer end and a face cam |43 at the end which is in the bowl. The pinion has a blank portion |38 which receives a set screw 2. An annular seal |44 is set in groove |46 in the body and seals the shaft. A washer |42 is held in place over the seal by screws |40.

The cam face |45 provides a continuous, uniform rise through 180 degrees of revolution and is disposed to be engaged by the follower 95.

A gear sector |41 is pivotally mounted on a headed pin |49 held in a boss |5|, which extends up from cover 15, by means of a set screw |53. The sector meshes with pinion I4 An arcuate cam slot |55 is formed in the sector. A pair of parallel arms |51, |59 are disposed On ODDOSite sides of the sector and are clamped thereto by a bolt |6| and thumb nut |63. The upper arm |51 is provided with an indicator point |65 which cooperates with a scale |61 on the sector. This scale is shown graduated in Coeflcients of cubic expansion with three ciphers omitted. It may be graduated in A. P. l. specific gravity degrees, if desired,

Ilhe arms |51, |59 are pivotally mounted on a collar |61 at A, which is slidabiy mounted on the threaded end |1| of a thermostat plunger |13. A pair ci nuts |15. one on either side of 4the Collar permit adjustment 4thereof and .hold it Once it iS adjusted, The centerof radius of the arcuate Slot |55 is that of the arms trom the. pivot point A on collar |61, under standard temperature conditions, and as the pointer is moved from low to the high end of the scale, the arm |41 will not pivot. However, if the point A is moved to the right or left of the 6o degrees position, arm |41 will be displaced accordingly and the center of radius of slot |55 will move away from the locus of point A, and movement of the pointer relative tglthe scale will rotate the lever |41 and gear Referring now to Figures 1 and 6 particularly, the outlet of meter is connected by a nipple |11 to the thermostat body. |19 which'has a discharge conduit |18. This body is provided with a tapped opening |8| at one side into which is screwed a bushing |83. The bushing carries a cylindrical housing |85 which is capped at |81.

The housing is filled with liquid which is the operating fluid of the thermostat.

A second bushing |89 is screwed in the rst and has a central opening |9| through which the plunger |13 is passed. A pair of counterbores |93, |95 receive an annular rubber seal ring |91 and a holding disc |99 therefor.

A central boss 20| on the second bushing has sealingly fixed to it a metal bellows 203. A guide member 205 is iiXed to the free end of the bellows and the plunger |13 is fixed to the piston. A compression spring 201 surrounds the plunger to tend to expand the bellows.

A spring 209 is mounted on the pin |49 yand bears on the graduated side of the sector |41 to take up any lost motion, always in the same direction.

Operation It will be assumed that the thermostat body, compensator bowl and meter are assembled in the relation shown in Figure 1, that a source of liquid to be metered is connected to the meter inlet 63 and that the discharge conduit |18 can be opened to start the ow.

The meter has previously been calibrated so that it will deliver less than 231 cubic inches by the amount which will bel normally delivered by the compensator at the standard temperature. For instance, assuming that the compensator is to adjust within a range of seven percent of the total output of the meter at 60 degrees F., and that the meter makes one revolution per gallon, the meter will be calibrated by the gearing between it and the register and by raising or lowering the journal 9 so that itwill deliver 231 cubic inches minus (.035 231) cubic inches or 223 cubic inches at 60 degrees F. for each gallon registered, plus or minus legal tolerances.

The lower stop of the compensator is set to a predetermined height by a gage and since the cam, cam follower cylinder and piston hub are all held to close tolerances, the rotated position of the cam governs the amount of liquid which will be delivered upon each stroke of the piston. This amount must be the 8 cubic inches which are lacking in the calibration of the meter Since the piston makes a complete reciprocation for each revolution of the` valve the amount discharged on each stroke must be 1/2 of -8 or 4 cubic inches. The setting of the cam at its mid-point will provide the amount of stroke which will permit the piston to displace l cubic p inches. The connection of the arms |51, |59 with the plunger of the thermostat is adjusted by nuts |15 so as to compensate for variations in the thermostat construction. Thus at the standard temperature, the cam will be at its mid-point and thearcuate slot will be a true circular arc about the pivot point A. The movement of the arms about the pivot A when the thermostat is at 60 degrees F. must produce no motion of the sector since all liquids must have a volume of 231 cubic inches at this temperature.

If the temperature of the thermostat is below 60 degrees, the plunger |15 will rotate sector |41 clockwise and pinion |14! and cam I l5 counterclockwise (Figure 1). This brings the cam face |45 closer to the follower 95 Aand reduces the stroke. Conversely, if the temperature of the thermostat increases above 60 degrees F., the plunger will rotate the sector counter-clockwise and the pinion and cam clockwise which will move the cam face away from the follower to increase the piston stroke.

Thus in the first case, the compensator will 6. add less than 4 cubic inches per stroke to the output of the meter so that when the total output is heated to 60 degrees F. it will occupy 231 cubic inches for each gallon registered.

In the second case, more than 4 cubic inches will be added so that when the combined volume is reduced to 60 degrees F., 231 cubic inches will be displaced for each gallon registered.

The amount subtracted from or added to the l cubic inches is varied by the setting of the pointer with respect to the scale |51. Thus where the coecient of expansion is low the amount of rotation of the sector per unit movement of plunger |13 is less than where the coeiiicient is high. The setting of the cam is thus altered to increase the amount of displacement of the compensator as the coeiiicient increases.

It should be understood that the displacement of the meter and compensator are assumed for purposes of illustration and that they explain the principles which would govern the application of the invention tofmeters having any number of revolutions or even a fractional part of a revolu tion per registered gallon. In each case,'to state the situation simply, it is merely a matter of adding to the liquid displaced by the meter a volume of liquid which will compensate for the expanded or contracted condition of such liquid. This volume is a function of the number of strokes of the compensator piston and the displacement of the compensator piston per stroke.

In view of the above stated principles it will 'be seen that when the operator has set the pointer |55 to the proper coeicient of cubic eX- pansion figure on the scale |61, he is ready to meter. Opening a control valve (not shown) will cause liquid to flow into inlet 63, channel 55, ports 41 which are opened by valve 5| to the 'channel so that these pistons will be depressed successively. The valve also connects the rising pistons with the channel 69, case 1|, and tube '13 so that measured liquid will flow to the body |19, and to the outlet |18. The liquid in the Ythermostat will, therefore, be heated or cooled to the temperature of the liquid being measured and will effect adjustment in the cam 43, as described above, as the temperature varies,

As the valve 5| moves in its orbit it first con- `nects port 55 to inlet liquid channel 55 and port 51 to the outlet liquid channel 59. This will. force liquid through tube 81, port 85 and chamber 19 'of the compensator, thereby forcing the liquid fdisposed above the piston 93 out through chamber 83, port 88, tube 89, passage 5|, port 51 through the valve to the outlet channel 69. As the valve continues in its orbit for degrees, vthe ports 55 and 51 are connected to the outlet channel 69 and inlet channel 55 respectively so that inlet pressure will be applied to they chamber 83 of the compensator to displace the liquid below Vthe piston into the outlet channel 69. Thus two .strokes or one complete cycle of the double action piston 93 is produced for each revolution of the meter.

This liquidadded to that displaced by the meter pistons 21, will when reduced to a temperature of 60 degrees F., displace 231 cubic inches, within legal tolerances, for each gallon indicated by the register. v Y l It will be seen that the thermostat body |19 may be placed on the inlet side of the meter if desired, without altering the operation of the device.

In some uses of meters, such as filling containers, it is customary to place a predetermined additional amount of liquid vin each container to compensate the purchaser for the amount of product which clings to the container and is discarded therewith. It is usual practice to adjust the displacement of the meter to increase the displacement as by raising the adjusting journal 9. This is somewhat diicult since no indicator is provided to show the amount of the adjustment.

In the instant case, such compensation is easily attained by loosening nut H9 and rotating the hand wheel |211 to lower the stop ill, and retightening the nut. The indicator 33 cooperating with grooves i3! on the wheel indicate exactly how much additional product is being added since the notches can be calibrated directly in cubic inches for each size of piston 93.

As stated above, for various styles of meters wherein the displacement per revolution is different, suitable sleeves 82 and pistons S3 can Ibe substituted to secure the proper displacement in the compensator. The bore 8l is determined so that it can be iitted with a piston to handle the maximum displacement required Without using a sleeve.

It is obvious that various changes may be made in the form, structure and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention. Accordingly, applicant does not desire to be limited to the specific embodiment disclosed herein primarily for purposes of illustration; but instead, he desires protection falling fairly Within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim to be new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the Unit-ed States of America is:

l. In a metering system, the combination of a supply line, a discharge line, a meter in the lines, said meter comprising displacement means and a valve for controlling the operation of the displacement means, a compensator connected to the lines in parallel with the displacement means, control means including said valve for actuating the compensator in time with the meter, said compensator comprising a displacement mechanism, said displacement mechanism being adjustable to vary the displacement thereof, means for controlling the displacement of said mechanism, a temp-erature responsive means in one line, a lever connected to actuate said controlling means, a member mounted for pivoting about a point on the temperature responsive means, means dening an arcuate slot in said lever and pivot means engaged in and guided in said slot for adjustably connecting said lever to said member.

2. In a metering system, the combination of a supply line, a discharge line, a met-er in the lines, said meter comprising displa ement means and a valve for controlling the operation of the displacement means, a compensator connected to the lines in parallel with the displacement means. control means including said valve for actuating the compensator in time with the meter, said compensator comprising a displacement mechanism, said displacement mechanism being adjustable to vary the displacement thereof, means for controlling the displacement ci said mechanism, a temperature responsive means in one line, a lever connected to actuate said controlling means, a member mounted ior pivoting about a point on the temperature responsive means, means defining an arcuate slot in said lever and pivot means engaged in and guided in said slot for adjustably connecting said lever to said member, said slot being in the form of an arc of a circle having as its center the pivot point on said temperature responsive means at the standard temperature.

3. In a metering system, the combination of a supply line, a discharge line. a meter in the lines, said meter comprising displacement means and a valve for controlling the operation of the displacement means, a compensator connected to the lines in parallel with the displacement means, control means including said valve for actuating the compensator in time with the meter, said compensator comprising a displacement mechanism, said displacement mechanism being adjustable to vary` the displacement thereof, means for controlling the displacement of said mechanism, a temperature resonsive means in one line, a lever connected to actuate said controlling means, a member mounted for pivoting about a point on the temperature responsive means, means deiining an arcuate slot in said lever, pivot means engaged in and guided in said slot for adjustably connecting said lever to said member and means for adjusting the mounting of said member relative to said temperature responsive means.

4. In a metering system, the combination of a supply line, a discharge line, a meter in the lines, said meter comprising displacementI means, a compensator connected to the lines in parallel with the displacement means, control means for actuating the compensator in time with the meter, said compensator comprising a displacement mechanism, said displacement mechanism being adjustable to vary the displaceient thereof, means for controlling the displacement of said mechanism, a temperature responsive means in one line, a lever connected to actuate said controlling means, a member mounted for pivoting about a point on the temperature responsive means, said member including an indicator, means defining an arcuate slot in said lever, pivot means engaged in and guided in said slot for adjustably connecting said lever to said member, said slot being in the form of an arc of a circle having as its center the pivot point on said temperature responsive means at the standard temperature and there being a scale on said lever cooperating With the indicator on said member to indicate the setting of the member with respect to the lever.

RALPH B. PRESSLE t.

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